Newsletter 5/21/25 – A berry exciting Strawberry Jam weekend!

After an amazing festival weekend at the farm, we are back to work bringing you fresh picked strawberries and delicious farm goodies every day! Stay tuned while we update you on some important news around the farm and give a glimpse into the eventful weekend we shared with the community.

Updates from the Farm Stand

If you’ve been down to the Darnell Farms farm stand, you may have noticed some new little faces. We are happy to welcome even more plush friends to the farm, representing some of our classic fruits, veggies, and more! Available in the farm stand and online store (www.darnellfarmsonlinestore.com), we currently carry plush corn, pumpkin, strawberry, and apple, as well as Bigfoot, scarecrow, and bear friends! Our fruit and veggie plushies are also available in an adorable key-chain size. For the little ones, or anyone with a creative spark, we are also carrying unicorn and T-Rex plushies designed to be drawn on. Come down to the farm or visit us online to order one for yourself. But hurry, they’re too cute to miss out on and are selling fast!

Our fresh strawberry picking continues daily, and we are happy to continue providing delicious strawberries to you in your communities. At our farm stand, open 9AM-7PM daily, we plan to continue to have a daily fresh supply of strawberries through July 4th. Our satellite stands are typically open 9:30AM-5PM daily, will continue to provide convenient strawberries for as long as possible! We hope to be set up at the following usual locations daily through July 4th:

Franklin – 105 Franklin Plaza Dr (Dalton’s Christian Bookstore Lot)

Sylva – 90 East Main St (Kel-Save Drugstore Parking Lot)

Waynesville – 1063 S Main St (Papa’s & Beer Parking Lot)

While rain and weather conditions do affect our strawberry picking, we are still going strong and working daily to keep ripe berries coming in. The best selection is early in the day, so visit us at the farm or at our satellite locations to get yourself some delicious berries!

Aside from our ongoing berry picking, we are excited to bring you a few updates from the field on other summer favorites. We are currently picking farm-grown squash and zucchini, available in the farm stand. Our high tunnel tomatoes are ripening now and will be ready soon. Mountain sweet onion will also be ready to be plucked soon, as well as a classic Southern favorite, white half runner beans. Keep an eye out for these delicious vegetables, available in the farm stand very soon!

Newsworthy Announcements

There is always something exciting happening down at the farm, whether it’s one of our planned events or a simple weekend of fun by the river. We are proud to provide a place for you and your families to unwind and enjoy our beautiful mountains.

To that end, we are honored to have been named the Visit Smokies People’s Choice Awards 2024 Family Outdoor Attraction of the Year.

Here is what they had to say about the farm: “Darnell Farms is more than a farm—it’s a memory in the making. Families return generation after generation to pick strawberries, enjoy seasonal festivals, and share laughter by the river. One guest recalled “three generations laughing together, faces stained with berries,” capturing the spirit of this beloved gathering place. For many, Darnell Farms isn’t just a stop on the itinerary—it’s a tradition.”

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for continuing to support us and help us grow into the family attraction of our dreams. We have a lot more things planned, and we appreciate the unwavering support of our friends and community as we strive to go above and beyond and to create lasting, happy memories together.

On that note, we are very happy to announce the return of live music weekends! A perfect way to enjoy a sunny afternoon with the family, come on down to the farm stage on almost every weekend for live music and family fun! For any local musicians interested in joining us, we have a new Weekend Entertainment Application available on our website. Grab the family and your dancing shoes and join the fun!

A Strawberry Jam Recap

We had a berry exciting weekend sharing strawberries and entertainment with the community. With a selection of vendors to browse, delicious fresh-made food and snacks, exciting work-horse demonstrations, and feel-good entertainment, this Strawberry Jam was one for the books! It is a lot of hard work, but we love putting on these events and sharing memories with all of you.

Enjoy this small gallery of pictures from our weekend, from adorable strawberry-clad contestants, to vendors, strawberries, horses, and more!